Consistency. Is it one of the most toxic words in the wellness industry?

Consistency requires extreme privilege. It is patronising, patriarchal and has negative consequences, suggesting that if we only made the effort things could be different for us… And we all know that there is a plethora of research around the impact of language and words.

Consistency requires as a minimum, time and money.
Time can be an issue if you are working shifts or a couple of different jobs. Money is needed to pay for subscriptions, attend classes and pay for petrol or public transport.

Consistency indicates that reliable childcare is always available, reliable mental health is always an option and that we don’t have the responsibilities of elderly parents, family duties and more.

Consistency is an illusion. A myth peddled to sell, usually.

Consistency is advocated yet if it was a reality wouldn’t we all be potential professional athletes? If consistency was accessible wouldn’t we all have excellent daily mental health? if consistency was inclusive, wouldn’t we all be able to uphold it without being encumbered by the normal pressures of life let alone in the cost of living crisis?

The phrases; consistency is key, consistency is your power, consistency is a choice, consistency gets results etc all allude to the idea that something is within our grasp… if we can just try harder, make more of an effort, plan better.

Try being consistent when you have chronic pain, live with a disability, when you can’t afford to put your heating on, when you are on benefits, struggling to cope, emotionally – it is incredibly thoughtless and Insensitive to use these approaches.

Of course, there will always be a minority of people training for sports or aesthetic reasons and consistency can play a huge role in that, but let’s recognise that they are in the extreme minority and that consistency is not an option to everyone.

The disconnect is undeniable. We can’t package and sell classes and content for mental well-being and in the same breath advocate consistency as an option without acknowledging the complications and conflicts of both. Consistency within the wellness industry is perpetuated around sales so is it really about con$i$t£ncy?

Just my thoughts on this uncomfortable trend and buzzword.